Filipino consulate celebrates

It was an evening of food and music for Filipinos living and working in Trinidad as they were treated to their annual end-of-year party by the Filipino consulate in Trinidad and Tobago.

The event was held at the Airport Suites Hotel, Factory Road, Piarco.

Consular general for the Filipino consulate Dr Noe Jaen said the celebration was particularly significant for him as it was his first time celebrating Christmas in Trinidad.

"Last year I was home in the Philippines, in fact I was planning to go back home to the Philippines but they told me, 'no,' I couldn't go home I have to spend Christmas with them," he told Newsday.

"I always enjoy Trinidad, in fact the first time I came to Trinidad I'm always telling my family back home that Trinidad is a country where people are friendly and they just love to enjoy, dance and drink."

Jaen, who has served as consular general for a year-and-a-half, said he also intended to strengthen ties and relations between the Philippines and TT through skill training the agriculture sector.

"I am planning to meet the Minister of Agriculture to propose to him that we have many Filipinos who are experts in farming, planting rice, corn and also fisheries and we are trained in aquaculture, in fact since I was a child I was trained by my parents to go to the farm, to go to our fish pond and we still have that farm and fish pond where we culture fish and plant rice for our country.

"That is my purpose because I have seen so many unincorporated lands that are just without use, so I think we Filipino experts we can help cultivate that land with rice and we will help Trinidad be more self-sufficient with foods like rice and corn.

"If we can't be completely self-sufficient we can minimise the importation of rice and corn."

The event which was fashioned as a poolside Hawaiian luau began at 6.30 pm as guests participated in a karaoke competition and Bingo.

Dinner featured a combination of local and Filipino dishes like crispy pork and cassava cake with macapuno.